Cynthia Turner joined the new Aloft Hotel, where she is serving up cocktails at the Wxyz bar. 9/20/12 - Erin Brethauer (ebrethau@citizen-times.com)

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You know it's time to ramp up your cocktail scene when Fox News, in a June travel report, advised visitors to Asheville: "Stick to the beer. Cocktails do not seem to be one of Asheville's strong suits."

But a number of local bartenders aim to change that impression, insisting that there's strength in numbers. Here are just a few of the key developments and players:

Jesse Ratliff of Table, a former Blackberry Farm bartender, has, in the past year, revolutionized Table's bar program to such a degree that the College Street restaurant built a second-floor venue to show off his craft cocktail ...